When the reading room meets the team room: Resident perspectives from radiology and internal medicine on the effect of personal communication after implementing a resident-led radiology rounds (13 February 2018)

Summary

This study in the journal Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology aimed to explore the perspectives of radiology and internal medicine residents on the desire for personal contact between radiologists and referring doctors, and the effect of improved contact on clinical practice.

A radiology round was implemented, in which radiology residents travel to the internal medicine teaching service teams to discuss their inpatients and review ordered imaging. Surveys were given to both groups following nine months of implementation. The vast majority of both diagnostic radiology residents and internal medicine residents reported benefits in patient management from direct contact with the other group, leading the authors to conclude that this generation of doctors is already aware of the value of radiologists who play an active, in-person role in making clinical decisions.